Institute For Free Speech

FEC: An Agency Tasked with Regulating First Amendment Activity
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The Federal Election Commission is the independent agency charged with enforcing federal campaign finance law and enacting campaign finance regulations. The FEC was created after the Nixon Administration’s Justice Department pursued criminal campaign finance charges against the President’s critics. In light of that effort, Congress correctly rejected the idea of letting a future president effectively control a government agency tasked…

Former FEC Chair Bob Lenhard Discusses Campaign Finance Law, Foreign Intervention in U.S. Elections

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September 6, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

Last Thursday, the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University hosted a discussion with Robert Lenhard, a former FEC commissioner and a partner ...

When Gridlock is Good
August 9, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  ,

In recent months, a handful of members on both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives have proposed legislation to change the ...

Time for Weintraub to Step Down?
June 5, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Federal Election Commissioner Ellen Weintraub’s actions in recent months cast serious doubt on whether she can continue to credibly carry on her duties as ...

We should oppose Ken Buck’s rotten proposal to dismantle the FEC
May 16, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Imagine you are a Republican. Would you agree to let the rules of political campaigns be written by a partisan committee selected by Barack ...

Is the Supreme Court about to give state and local political parties a boost?
May 10, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  , , ,

By Bradley A. Smith As part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance "reform" of 2002, virtually everything these local parties do was brought into the web ...

Brad Smith: Prevent the reckless restructuring of the FEC
May 1, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Imagine you are a Republican. Would you agree to let the rules of political campaigns be written by a partisan committee selected by Barack ...

Members of Congress Renew Proposal to Kill Bipartisan FEC
April 14, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  ,

Replacing the FEC with a five-member body would bring to the federal government problems that have long existed at the state level. It would ...

Ravel’s Support for Ending PACs Exposes Her Long-Term Policy Goals
April 12, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

When Ann Ravel resigned from her post at the Federal Election Commission earlier this year, she made it clear that her activism would continue ...

‘Deep FEC’ Goes After White House Counsel Don McGahn
March 9, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

The hot political buzz phrase in the early Trump administration is “Deep State.” The phrase was originally coined to refer to the government’s military ...

Former FEC Commissioner Ravel Admits Her “Dysfunction” Narrative is Unfounded
March 2, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

Ann Ravel, formerly of the FEC, spent her first day after resigning with fellow progressives at the Center for American Progress. During an event ...

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